Sicily Express
Sicily Express (Italian: Sicilia Express) is a 2025 Italian holiday comedy miniseries written, directed, and starring the Sicilian comic duo Ficarra & Picone, released on Netflix. Its story centers on Salvo and Valentino, a pair of Sicilian nurses dividing their time between jobs in Milan and relatives in their native Sicily, who shortly before Christmas find a magical portal that disrupts their lives, though not necessarily in a good way.1
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Five-episode comedy limited series, 2025, rated U/A 13+ on Netflix1 • 2 |
| Creators | Written, directed, and starring Salvo Ficarra and Valentino Picone, with co-writers Fabrizio Cestaro, Nicola Guaglianone, and Fabrizio Testini1 |
| Premise | Two Sicilian nurses working in Milan discover a dumpster that transports them to their families in Sicily in seconds2 |
| Main cast | Salvo Ficarra, Valentino Picone, Katia Follesa, Barbara Tabita, Max Tortora, Sergio Vastano, Enrico Bertolino, Adelaide Massari, Angelo Tosto2 |
| Production | Tramp Limited; filmed April 7 to July 4, 2025, over 13 weeks in Noto, Milan, and Rome1 • 3 |
| Release | December 5, 2025, only on Netflix, per Netflix's press releases1 |
| Series position | Ficarra & Picone's second Netflix series, after Incastrati (two seasons, 2022 to 2023)4 |
Spoilers
Premise
The series centers on Salvo and Valentino, two Sicilian nurses who divide their lives between their jobs in Milan and their families in Sicily. Just a few days before Christmas, they discover a magical portal, an unexpected find destined to turn their lives upside down, though not necessarily for the better.1 Netflix's synopsis makes the portal concrete: the two blundering friends find a dumpster that transports them to their families in seconds.2
The five episodes build a farce around the secret. After defying their boss in Milan, everything goes wrong for the pair on their journey home until a Christmas wish comes true. They then stash the dumpsters in Sicily and Milan, tricking their partners with a risky scheme while the smell of their secret lingers. Salvo finds a sneaky use for the dumpsters, a run-in with the police interferes with work, and as the pair's new business takes off the police gather evidence while Claudia and Maria Teresa suspect foul play. In the finale, odd things continue in the run-up to Christmas as Palermo football fans cause a ruckus, Aurora goes missing, and the prime minister holds a board meeting.2
Cast and characters
Salvo Ficarra plays Salvo and Valentino Picone plays Valentino, the two leads. Katia Follesa plays Claudia and Barbara Tabita plays Maria Teresa, the partners drawn into the scheme; Max Tortora plays the Presidente del Consiglio, the prime minister.4 The wider cast includes Sergio Vastano, Enrico Bertolino, Adelaide Massari, and Angelo Tosto, with a special appearance by Giorgio Tirabassi.1
Production
The series was produced by Tramp Limited, an Italian production. According to the Italy for Movies production portal, shooting ran from April 7, 2025 to July 4, 2025, a total of 13 weeks with a troupe of 85. The longest block was 42 days in Rome, with 30 days in Noto, Sicily, and 6 days in Milan; each Sicilian and Lombard location used 5 local crew members and 80 traveling crew, while Rome used the full local troupe of 85.3
The trailer and poster were released on November 12, 2025, together with new stills; an initial clip and two first images had been released on September 26, 2025.1 • 5
Release and format
Netflix's Italian and English press releases both announce the series as launching December 5, 2025, only on Netflix.1 • 5 The description of the official trailer on YouTube instead states a December 22 date; the two dates conflict, and the press-release date of December 5 is the one Netflix's own announcement pages carry.6
On Netflix the show is listed as a 2025 limited series in the comedy genre, rated U/A 13+, with genres including Family Time TV, Italian, and TV Comedies. Episode runtimes are 28, 32, 27, 29, and 42 minutes. The original audio is Italian, with Italian audio description and English audio description available, and subtitles in English and Italian; the series is available to download.2 FilmTV lists the running time as about 30 minutes per episode and the production status as concluded.4
Context in Ficarra & Picone's work
Incastrati, the duo's first Netflix series, ran for two seasons between 2022 and 2023 and was also set in Sicily; Sicilia Express is their second series for the platform.4 Italian coverage has framed the show as a Christmas fable about an Italy of two speeds, contrasting the north where the pair works with the Sicily where their families live.4
References
- The Trailer and Poster for 'Sicily Express', the New Holiday Miniseries Starring Ficarra & Picone, Streaming From December 5 Only on Netflix, About Netflix (12 November 2025)
- Sicily Express, Netflix Official Site
- Sicilia Express, scheda set, Italy for Movies
- Sicilia Express, FilmTV.it
- Sicilia Express: il ritorno di Ficarra e Picone con una nuova serie comedy natalizia, dal 5 dicembre su Netflix, About Netflix (26 September 2025)
- Sicily Express | Official Trailer | Netflix, YouTube (12 November 2025)
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Miniseries and anthology series
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
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